Close-up of sign with logo on facade of the regional headquarters of ecommerce company Amazon in the Silicon Valley town of Sunnyvale, California, October 28, 2018. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - Amazon was sued Tuesday in a proposed nationwide class-action lawsuit accusing the retailer of systematically discriminating against thousands of pregnant employees, including by firing workers it claimed took too much time off.
What they're saying:
The lawsuit, filed by four former warehouse employees, alleges Amazon violated federal and New York worker-protection laws by denying pregnant workers basic accommodations, including chairs, bathroom and water breaks, and time off for prenatal appointments.
The complaint also alleges Amazon threatened and fired pregnant employees who missed too much work and improperly required medical documentation from workers seeking accommodations. The plaintiffs said those practices violate the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and New York labor law.
"Amazon is one of this country’s largest employers, [and] it is no surprise that many of its workers become pregnant," the complaint said. "Yet Amazon violates the law at every turn."
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The other side:
Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, said the company provides pregnancy-related accommodations to tens of thousands of employees each year and approved more than 99.9% of requests over the past year.
"Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is one of our greatest responsibilities," Nantel said.
Dig deeper:
The lawsuit seeks lost wages and benefits, punitive damages and an injunction preventing discrimination against pregnant employees.
The lawsuit was filed by A Better Balance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for workers’ rights.
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It was filed 11 months after New Jersey sued Amazon, accusing the company of widespread discrimination against warehouse workers with disabilities or who were pregnant. New York filed a similar lawsuit in 2022.
One of the plaintiffs, Willamina Barclay, said Amazon issued her a termination warning on June 17, 2025, one day after she was taken from its Rochester, New York, warehouse in a wheelchair and hospitalized for a pregnancy-related emergency.
Barclay said she experienced severe abdominal pain after lifting heavy objects. According to the complaint, Amazon claimed the hospital visit pushed her beyond the limit for unpaid time off and docked her because she "worked partially that day."
The complaint said Barclay was fired five days later.
Nantel said the four plaintiffs’ accounts "contain inaccuracies and omit important details."
Big picture view:
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission plans to propose changes in November to regulations related to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
The agency has aligned itself with President Donald Trump’s policies. EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said in 2024 that the regulations for pregnant employees were too broad.
The EEOC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
New Jersey’s lawsuit is ongoing after a state Superior Court judge rejected Amazon’s request for dismissal on July 31, a spokesperson for New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said.
The Source: Reuters contributed to this report. Information for this story came from a Reuters report based on a proposed class-action lawsuit filed in federal court by four former Amazon warehouse employees, as well as comments from Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel. This story was reported from Los Angeles.